If you recognize the featured image for this blog post, congratulations, you might be in the right place.
Is your marketing stuck in the past? Check all that apply:
- You’re still relying on word-of-mouth or RFQs like it’s the only way.
- Your site ranks somewhere between page 9 and Never on Google.
- Your website screams, “I was built during the MySpace era.”
- No content strategy. No funnel. No leads.
- Your sales team is still cold calling like it’s their only hope.
Bob Dylan wrote the song The Times They Are A-Changin’ in 1964.
“You better start swimmin’ or you’ll sink like a stone… For the times they are a-changin.”
It was a rallying cry for the cultural and political changes of the time. Fast-forward 60 years, and businesses—especially manufacturers—need their own wake-up call. AI, generational shifts, and changing buyer behaviors are redefining how people make decisions.
Acknowledge the new era or risk being left behind.
A similar generational shift started to occur a few years ago. The advent of artificial intelligence and the shifts in priorities for next-generation workers brought uncertainty, and continues to create an unpredictable business environment.
Manufacturers have been slow to adapt to marketing and technological changes. The heavy reliance on word-of-mouth or RFQs is slowly eroding as those lead sources are less reliable than they were 20, 30, or 40 years ago. Back in the day, businesses would name themselves “AAA Plumbing” just to show up first in the Yellow Pages. (For our Gen Z readers: the Yellow Pages was like Google printed out on paper. And yes, it was as painful as it sounds.)
But your audience isn’t flipping through a book anymore—they’re Googling, scrolling Instagram, or asking ChatGPT. If your business isn’t showing up where they are, you’re not even in the game.
AI can be a powerful tool—but don’t hand it the steering wheel. Thought leadership requires actual thought. Use your real-world expertise to craft content that AI can’t replicate. (Unless ChatGPT has also installed ductwork in a 110-degree attic. Has it? Didn’t think so.)
Businesses that solely rely on their sales teams generating their leads manually are missing out on a percentage of the prospect pie, who do most of their research before ever picking up the phone to call a business. And speaking of the phone, caller ID, email spam filters, and other methods of screening out sales and marketing messages make the job of a sales and marketing team more challenging. Those forms of intrusive push-marketing have run their course.
So what can a business do to cut through the noise and uncover opportunities? First, provide value in your business offerings and your marketing. Show your thought leadership by authoring unique articles. I say unique because straight AI-authored articles miss the human emotion and knowledge that you, as a boots-on-the-ground provider of products and services, bring to the table. Use AI as a tool rather than the end-all, be-all. If everyone uses AI to generate their articles, they cease to be unique.
Acknowledge the new era or risk being left behind.
Ready to stop sinking and start swimming?
Let’s make sure your website, content, and lead generation are ready for this era, not the last one.
We’re a design-meets-strategy agency that helps businesses like yours connect with modern buyers. Let’s talk.
Eric Jacobson 215-345-5424 x7215
www.IQnection.com